Fighting to Keep Breathing
by Croyant
Summary: A Story about a Girl from District 8, and her Fight to Keep Breathing. R&R Suck at Summaries! Chapter 1 edited*


Hey Guys! Sorry I made a HUGE mistake with the timeline! Thanks to **Ninja named Steve **for pointing out! Sorry Again! Please R&R

**Why Me?**

The sun rose announcing dawn. I quickly got out of bed and gathered all the stuff I needed. I put my hair in a messy ponytail and tied my shoelaces.

"Danielle" I turned around to find my little brother Noah yawning. He was just seven years old. It was early, so I walked to him and kissed his forehead, he smiled and drifted off again into sleep. I smiled and ran out of the little house. I saw people leaving for work and some kids playing around. I lived in district 8, you could see the big textile factories all over the district. I liked clothes and all of that, but I liked more hunting. I always went to forest near the district. The peacekeepers hadn't caught me yet, so I was free. I always brought my bow and arrows and some knives.

"You know it is forbidden to be in the forest" I heard his voice. I could recognized that voice anywhere. I turned to find Cole Smith. He was the mayor's son and completely annoying. He always appeared when I was hunting, to tell me that I shouldn't be here and all that stuff. I always ignored him and walked away, but man! This guy was so stubborn.

"And I should care because?" He had an ugly smirked plastered on his face, God! How much I would give to punch that smirk off.

"It could bring you a lot of problems" He was always teasing. Like if I cared. I knew he wasn't a bad person really deep, but he was just a big,stupid mass of muscles.

"I take the risk everyday, why shouldn't I today?" He turned serious for once. It was forbidden for him to be here too.

"The Reaping, there will be peacekeepers making sure no one hides from the reaping, they might catch you" He was right, I totally forgot. I had to dress nice for some stupid reaping and then go on with my life. I sighed and took the two squirrels and the rabbit I got to hunt in the little time I had. I walked towards my home and he followed me.

"Are you scared?" He asked. I shook my head. "Why?"

"Cause if I get scare, I am giving them what they want" he looked in deep thought and then we walked in silence. Sometimes Cole wasn't so bad, only when he wasn't being a jerk. "Between, it's really hard for your name to come out, there are a lot in the bowl" this time he didn't look at me. He just gave me a small smile.

"See you there" he said and I nodded. He walked towards the main section of the district, where his house was. I ran back home to Noah. I saw my uncle making breakfast.

"Good Morning" I said to him and he grinned. He nod at me and went back to cooking. My uncle Patrick was the only family, besides from Noah, that I had left. My parents were from district 10. My mom died young, she got sick and my dad couldn't afford the treatment. My dad was left with me and little Noah. When I turned 10, my dad was taken by the Capitol because they thought he was starting a rebellion, I don't know if he's dead or alive. My uncle was from district 8, so we went to live with him. I had Noah with me, and he decided to take us in. I had never met him. I remembered the first time I saw him. I knocked on a little house on District 8 and he opened the door. We stared at each other for a moment, I was carrying little Noah in my arms. He hugged us tight and let us in. Since then, my Uncle was like my Dad. Travelling from District 10 to 8 wasn't easy, but a friend of my dad helped us.

"Danielle, you go put on that dress I left on your bed, Mona made it for you" Mona was my uncle's love. He wasn't as courageous to ask her out, but I knew better that she loved him too. I ran to see my dress. It was a plain navy dress with a ribbon on the waist. It was beautiful. I went to the bathroom and changed. I looked at myself in the mirror and was satisfied with my look. I went back to the kitchen and sat down.

"You look beautiful Danielle" I smiled and hugged him. We ate breakfast and then we left for the reaping. I wasn't nervous, it was my fifth year participating in the reaping, so I just wanted to end this and go back to hunt. We were all lined up, boys and girls, from twelve to eighteen, boys where in one side and girls in another, we were all grouped by age. Lila Frinks was on the stage, with her weird pink dress and yellow hair. She was really pale, I bet she dyed her skin white, because no one was that , no human at all. Behind her stood Mayor Smith, Cole's dad. He was a tall man, just like his son. His hair was normal compared to the people of the capitol. He smiled at the crowd and gave his boring talk about the almighty Capitol and the Dark Days.

"Well Now, the time has come" Lila Frinks gave a weird giggle, " to select one courageous young man and woman, for the honor of representing District 8 in the 67th Hunger Games!" I think she was expecting people to clap. But I knew better. The Hunger Games, was how the Capitol showed us they had complete power over the districts and that they could kill anyone they wanted.

"Ladies First!" She was overly excited. I wanted to throw up. She took one piece of paper and opened it. My hands were sweating and the tension could be feel in the plaza. I bet every girl on the place was hoping they wouldn't be picked. I knew that every parent in the plaza was hoping for her daughter not to be picked. I sighed and Lila smiled.

"Danielle Hayes!" Everyone looked at me. Was it true? My name? Out of thousands of names, Mine? It took me few seconds to recover my senses. I walked slowly to the stage and Lila smiled at me. I was in shocked. Was it real? Lila shook my hand and so did the Mayor.

"Now, Our male tribute is..." She picked a name and opened it.

"Thomas..." She was cut off by someone yelling.

"I volunteer!" Everyone look at the source of the voice. I found myself staring at Cole. He walked to the stage.

"Well isn't that the spirit!" Mayor Smith was speechless. I knew Cole wanted to participate in the games. He had told me. But his reasons -or what he told me- were rebel, mainly to make his dad suffer, for not having time for him. Poor Mayor, he must be worried. I thought I had convinced him about not volunteering. But I was wrong. People were surprised. He was the Mayor's son. Usually his kind of people did everything to avoid the games.

"Now Our tributes Cole Smith and Danielle Hayes, May the odds be ever in your favor!" Lila clapped happily while everyone stared at us with pity. Some people clapped but some just held their heads down. I looked for,maybe,the last time to my district. A tear rolled down my face as we walked to the justice building. I knew my tear would appear in the reaping videos, that I would look weak, but I didn't care. They put each one in a room and I just kept waiting for someone to wake me up, to tell me it had been a cruel joke. But no one did.

"Danielle!" My uncle burst through the door with Noah in his arms. He hugged me and I hugged him back so tightly that I knew he couldn't breath, but he didn't said anything.

"I am scare" He ended the hug and Noah sat on my lap. He already knew what the Hunger Games were. But he hoped completely that I could win.

"I know, but you are braver than what they think you are, you are stronger than what they are" He was close to yelling me those words, "A good shot, that's all they are looking for, remember, you are smart and strong, you handle blades and knives perfectly and you are good with an arrow, you can do it" He hugged me and then the peacekeepers told him the time was up. I hugged him one last time and then he gave me a reassuring grin. Since nobody else visited me, they took me to the train. I saw Cole sitting in the dining room, quietly. I had to talk to him, but Lila had to appear.

"Hello my tributes, at least I got attractive ones this year, last time they looked like pumpkins, literally" she laughed at her own joke without noticing that no one was laughing.

"Now, your mentor will be here any minute, so wait for him" She clapped her hands and walked away. I knew who our mentor was. His name was Zach. He had won the games 6 years ago, when he was eighteen. He was now twenty-four. He arrived and sat down.

"Hey" he stared at us, "At least you are attractive kids, last ones look like pumpkins" so Lila wasn't lying. He laughed too about his joke.

"I am Zach, as weird as it is, it's my last name, my names is Chris" Cole wasn't paying any attention to Chris, I was. Cause I wanted to go home, and if he had already win this , he could help me ,then I could win ,right.

"Danielle Hayes" I shook his hand and offered him a smile. He turned to Cole, but he was kind of asleep. Chris sighed and turned to me.

"Nervous? Scared?" I nodded. " Don't, cause you can win this, I can see it" he winked at me and turned on the TV. The Reaping was on. I didn't want to see my reaping video, but Chris insisted I did. I wondered why his name was kind of normal, cause he had lived sometime in the Capitol, maybe even born there. All the people from the Capitol had weird names, but he was just, Chris.

"What can you do?" He asked. I thought for a moment.

"I am fast" I said hesitating.

"Perfect, What else?" I thought for a moment, " I am really good with knives and blades, also with an arrow" He clapped his hands loudly, making Cole wake up scared.

"Long range and short range weapons that's great" He said. Cole seemed to drifted off back to sleep.

"I am also good at sewing and making clothes, I am from the Textiles district so..." He smiled again and was writing down what I had said to him. It continued for like an hour. He asked me about my life and explained what will happened at the Capitol. I ate delicious food on the train. I was full. I had never tasted the Capitol's food. They had a lot! I wish I could give this food to my district, there are parts that are so poor.

"And you, what can you do?" Cole stared at nothing in particular for a few seconds.

"Nothing" He said and went back to sleep.

"He is lying, he is strong and can handle a spear and a sword" I said. I knew that cause I had hunted with him. He was actually really good with a spear, he fished like that. He showed me but I was helpless.

"Good, but that won't work if you don't want it to work" Cole wasn't listening and Chris was kind of annoyed. We kept watching the reapings. The tributes from District 1,2, and 4 looked really though. They were called the career tributes, cause even if it was illegal, they were trained since children to compete in the games. The other tributes were okay, I guess. I saw a lot of eighteen year old girls and guys. Two who were sixteen like me and three who were twelve. Chris was taking note of the tributes: how did they looked, how old they looked, their reaction about being chosen. I just rested my head on the table. I was exhausted, and already homesick. I had to win this. I needed, for Noah, for Uncle Patrick.

"Don't worry sweetheart, you have potential, you can do this" Chris winked at me and I blushed. "I have friends in the capitol, they will love you, they will want to sponsor you, trust me" I nodded and he smiled. He told me to rest in my room a little until we arrive to the Capitol. I obeyed and went to bed.

_I was running. A forest. I didn't knew why I was running, I just knew that I had to. It was dark and I ran as fast as my body let me. At the end, I could see Noah, he was smiling at me._

"_Noah!" I was running faster. Noah looked so was a light where Noah was. It was getting too strong. I stopped and covered my eyes with my hands. When I finally adjusted, I took a look at my surroundings. Indeed it was a forest. Noah was holding out his hand for me to take._

"_Danielle" He said, almost in a whisper._

"_Noah" I said again. When I was about to take his hand. A boy threw a spear towards Noah. Noah looked scared at the boy and he let out a cry when the spear hit his body. He fell to the ground and closed his eyes. He was bleeding._

"_No!" I screamed. The boy walked to me, but I couldn't see his face, the light was too strong._

"_Welcome to the Hunger Games" he said and took out his knife. He raised his hand and threw it back towards me._

"No!" I woke up sweating. It had been a nightmare. I heard the door open and flinched, but it was Cole.

"Danielle, Are you alright?" Cole was shirtless, with just some pants. I nodded.

"I had a nightmare" I let out, it sounded like a cry.

"It's okay" he sat on the edge of the bed, "With all that's happening its normal" he let himself rest on the bed. I sighed and shivered.

"Are you cold?" I nodded. Suddenly his arms were around me. It felt weird. I mean, I knew him, but as a friend only. I felt his breath tickling my neck. He spread warmth to my body, it felt good. I found myself drifting away, all black. But never cold, I was warm.

I woke up by a horn. The train had stopped. Maybe for fuel. I looked around and Cole wasn't in the room anymore. I missed his warmth. I walked to the window and looked. There was a forest. I couldn't tell which District we were in, because I only knew District 8. It was still cold.

"So you are awake" Lila was sitting on the edge of my bed, where hours ago, Cole sat.

"Yes" I simply said. She was wearing a yellow dress, which matched her hair. She had a ridiculous amount of make up on her face.

"Are you nervous?" I didn't trusted her. She was a part of the people that supported the Hunger Games. That thought they were necessary. Her lips were pink, making her look like a clown. I resisted a smile, she might get offended if she found out I found her funny.

"A little" She gave me a fake smile. Which I returned.

"I am not used to talk with the tributes, only if its about instructions for the games" she sighed, " but I have to tell you something, I believe in you Danielle Hayes" I was kind of surprised. Was she joking? I mean, I even thought she didn't had a heart.

"Thanks" She smiled and stood up. She checked her make up on the mirror and left. Was she drunk? Lila Frinks was indeed from the Capitol, only people as weird as her were from there. I had seen her. All of the past years which I wasn't choose for the Hunger Games. She was always bubbly and smiling. Even though the reaping was something sad. She used to be rude to the tributes. I knew that. Between, Chris didn't like her. She was kind of evil but not in a bad way. But now, she said something nice. A peacekeeper knocked on my door.

"Zach wants to see you Miss Hayes" The peacekeeper told me. I nodded and thanked him. I walked to the dining room. Lila, Chris and Cole were there. So was Mayor Smith. He looked worried. Who wouldn't if their son had just volunteered for the Hunger Games. I had to ask Cole why he did it. I knew there was a reason more than just a 'I wanted to participate' or another lame excuse. I knew there was a good reason for why he had volunteered, and I was determined to find out. Then Chris nudge me.

"Look, The capitol!" I walked to the window excited. I looked at the Capitol, and I could only say:

"Its amazing!" Cole wasn't watching, he was asleep as always. Chris looked like a little kid, not a 24 year old. I smiled at his bubbly attitude , watching the Capitol. Only one thought crossed my mind.

_May the odds be ever in my favor._


End file.
